MCA-Armenia: We Construct-We Take Care

armradio.an
10.04.2010 15:30

On April 10, 2010 the Millennium Challenge Account – Armenia
(MCA-Armenia) marked the completion of 550 meters of the tertiary
canal in Norabats community (Ararat marz) through a unique event. In
collaboration with Foundation for Preservation of Wildlife and
Cultural Assets (FPWC) and Sunchild Eco-clubs, MCA-Armenia, its
partners, and Norabats community members joint their efforts to clean
the area around the canal and to plant 150 trees along the canal
length.

The event intended to increase awareness of MCA-Armenia’s
environmental practices and to contribute to social responsibility for
irrigation infrastructure and its surrounding environment.

In all of its construction and programmatic activities MCA-Armenia
emphasizes environmentally sensitive behavior including leaving the
construction area clean and planting trees where possible.

Combining this environmental event with the canal opening was a
forceful way of raising issues about the importance of green areas and
the harm of garbage disposal into the canals. It sensitized
program-related staff, community members and the general public about
the need to act responsibly and sensibly toward nature in general and
irrigation water in particular.

The main messages of the event included: `We Construct, We Take Care’;
`Why Clean?’ and `Why plant?’.

The event started with a small opening ceremony followed by the
cleaning and planting and completed with releasing the water into the
canal. Ara Hovsepyan, the CEO of MCA-Armenia and Galust Galstyan, the
mayor of Norabats community signed a memorandum about respective
responsibilities with regard to tree planting and their further care.

14 communities in Armavir, Ararat and Vayots Dzor Marzes are currently
benefiting from the tertiary canal rehabilitation under MCA-Armenia’s
Infrastructure Activity. While Norabats (and its almost 2000
residents) is the first among these communities to receive water
through the newly rehabilitated canal section, it is expected that
many of these communities will be able to use their canals already
during this irrigation season. Construction of this canal is
implemented by Yerevanshin RPU LLC.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress